


Baby Steps

by freifraufischer



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3455147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freifraufischer/pseuds/freifraufischer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BroTP Snow Queen.  After the events of 4.11, Snow takes Regina shopping for Neal's baby clothes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a tumblr prompt: Snow calls Regina because she's worried after what happened at the town line and she just wants to talk to Regina & well yes, maybe give her a hope speech. So she invites Regina to go shopping with her for baby Neal's clothes &they end up talking about everything and nothing

Regina doesn't want to answer her phone. She doesn't really want to see anyone. She just wants to crawl up in a ball in house and just not feel anything. But she has a son, and a life and responsibilities and if she ever has any hope of … well hope again… she needs to at least get out of bed.

What she doesn't expect as she's getting dressed is the door to ring. Emma had picked up Henry for his riding lessons an hour before, and they were all supposed to meet back at the author's house to search the library again later that evening. But for now Regina's plan for the day had been to not curl up in a ball. Baby steps.

She opened the door to see Snow wearing what might be the most distractedly hideous yellow coat Regina had ever seen. She blinked. Twice. Just in case she was seeing it wrong and it changed colors. It didn't. She held out a cup of coffee. "We're going shopping."

"Are we?" Regina said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes we are. David is off with Emma and Henry and I need some help picking out baby clothes."

"I'm not sure if this is torture or pity…." Regina said warily, but she did take the coffee after putting on her coat. There was no stopping Snow when she was bound and determined to give a hope speech or drag you out of your house. She'd learned that when she was 23 and Snow was an incredibly annoying 15 year old who wanted to her to go to the market with her to pick out fabric for her ballgown.

At least now if Snow was too bad she could like her hair on fire. Or that jacket.

"Wouldn't pity be torture to you?" Snow asked cheerfully as they got into her car.

"Why me?" She asked with resignation.

"Besides that you need to get out more? It's not entirely selfless on my part. I discovered David's idea of gently used and mine are … different."

"Your husband is cheap."

"He's frugal. And I thought you would have a good sense of what is worth spending money on."

"You realize I haven't shopped for baby things since Henry needed them."

"Which is… more recently than lots of people and enchanted forest baby furniture I think involved a lot more led paint than we should probably be comfortable with." Snow said a little sheepishly.

"Don't get a crib from your friend Marco." Regina commented as she smoothed her hair in the side view mirror as Snow drove.

"We already have a crib."

"Which your husband and Emma put together. How many screws were left over at the end."

"Only … seven." Snow tried to sound relaxed.

"You are really bad at seeming relaxed."

"I don't recall you were the picture of serenity when you had Henry."

"I had the poise of a queen," Regina said stiffly… and than added, "Who hadn't had more than 2 hours sleep."

Snow winced. "Neal's giving me three."

"No wonder Henry moved back home."

"I'd move back home if you'd let me."

"The last thing I think either of us needs is to live in the same house again." Regina said with a fond smile.

"We managed last year."

Regina chuckled, "We did."

The shopping was actually relaxing. The people at the baby store were beside themselves to have the princess and the queen there. Snow had apparently forgotten what it was like to be a royal. Regina actually found herself thinking back to Snow's childhood and how oblivious the princess was of all the advantages in her life.

"How about this? It looks cute." Snow held up an outfit.

"Are you trying to pick something to use to traumatize him with baby pictures when he's sixteen?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You think I would do that?" Snow asked innocently.

"Remember Snow, I know what a…"

"Okay, maybe i'd do that…" Snow granted before Regina could finish.

"Here, let me do the clothes and why do you go pick out some toys. I'm not going to have my godson hampered with your fashion sense."

"What's wrong with my fashion."

"Snow you look like you attacked and skinned big bird on the way to my house."

Snow frowned and looked down at her coat.

"I like it."

"Which is why you are going to pick out toys while I find things to for your little Prince."

Snow looked at stacking sets and xylophones for a long time quietly… "I admire what you did at the town line."

"I don't need your affirmation, Snow." Regina said a little less testily than she'd intended. She couldn't even snap at Snow White satisfyingly anymore.

"You don't need it but you have my admiration. I'm… not sure I could have given up David."

"I think what happened with your heart shows that."

"You did split it." She smiled at her.

Regina looked down at some onesies meant to look like oxford shirts. "I'm not sure I could have let you give up David either."

Snow clearly wanted to push on that but at least had the good sense not to. "You don't need my affirmation because you know you did the right thing and you did it for yourself. It's alright to feel the way you do. It's alright for you to let us help."

Snow reached to put a hand on her arm. "It's not weakness Regina."

"It feels like it." She said quietly.

"You have never been weak. Crazy, angry, insane. But not weak. Not than, not now." She squeezed her hand.

"Now, what about this."

She held up a bright orange jumper.

"Only if David plans to take Neal out deer hunting…."

Snow shook her head … it was going to be a long afternoon of Regina mocking her taste. And privately Regina was sure Snow was finding every hideous thing in the store to provoke the snark on purpose.

And maybe, she might even smile while she delivered it.


End file.
